texassmokes

I have a UM-20 that I keep in my work truck. It works great, and I have had no issues with it. My home charger is the LucV4, it's a work horse.

The UM chargers are basically the same as the D-series chargers (LCD displays), but they charge via USB, not AC power.  They also have a port where you can charge a USB device, and you can select which device (battery or USB) charges first.
If you are looking for a travel charger, the UM series will do well, but for home-use, I'd still recommend the i-series or d-series NiteCore chargers.

Haven't seen anything on the nitecore UM series chargers, they any good?

Interesting info on the Green-wrapped 25r5's... same performance, as the blue 25r2, but higher lifecycle counts.  I'll have to look for those next time I buy batteries!
Thanks, Jason... good info

I just ran across some interesting information about the -25r batteries.  I have read that there are quite a few fakes out there.  I have checked all of mine, and the ones I thought might be fake are in fact real.
Check it out here: Is it a fake 18650 battery? (Featuring the Samsung 25R)
Here is another interesting one: Green Samsung 18650 25R5 vs. Blue 25R2
 

If they sell supplies for CPAP machines, they should, but I can't guarantee all of them will carry 18650's, or what brand they will have, if they do.  I may have gotten lucky that my local store carried LG's... But, yes, it won't hurt to ask

Hmm, I've got a walgreens about a mile away from me. May have to stop in And see if they have any.

I've bought my last 10 Samsung from Amazon, and had zero failures or issues with them.  One of the 5 I bought from the local B&M has died (would not take a charge) after 6-months or so.  The Samsungs bought from Amazon came from two different sellers (both with thousands of reviews, and 99% positive), and all were PRIME shipped.
The Walgreen's I spotted the LG's at had a card on the wall saying 18650 back-up batteries for the CPAP machines were behind the counter.  I had to get them from the pharmacist, I presume to prevent shoplifting of such a small item?  Both were individually boxed, and two came boxed together with a date-stamp on the outer box.  I've only used them once so far (each), and they are working exactly the same as my Samsungs... so I call it a win!

I bought my first 2 Samsungs from Amazon.  The next 2 and 2 35A Efests from a online Vape store.  The last 4 Samsungs were from Illum.  The 2 I got from the Vape store do not look like the others (rewrap?)  and one of the Efests has already died.  I probably will not buy from them again.  I have had great luck with all of the other batteries I have bought.  My original Sony VTC 4's from the Vapor Talk store, and Fadora Vapor are still going strong nearly a year later.  I keep them and the EFest for my Mechanicals.  If you take care of these batteries, they will last a long time!
I am going to check this out.  We are heading to Lubbock in a bit, to a Grandson's birthday party and there is a Wallgreens right down the street.

Something about a 0.99 makes me nervous. They're closed today, but I'll give em a call in the morning. They seemed to carry mostly only higher end mods and such, so I hope they wouldn't skimp on the batts.

Yeah, an unknown battery is not a good thing... it could be one of those $0.99 Ultrafire or Trustfire batteries.  I would find out what you have!
I've been buying my Samsung batteries, and my last NiteCore charger, from Amazon lately... The charger was $15, and the last set of 4 batteries were $21, so yes, you can get a charger and pair of batteries for under $30, and if you have PRIME, you can have them in 2-days or less, with free shipping.
Oh, and I picked up a pair of LG HE2 last week from the local Walgreen's drug store... $5/each, so you may check your local drugstore too

The vendor I linked to is relatively unknown to me.  I have only ordered from them a couple of times. Both orders were quick, and as ordered. I just knew that would be the quickest place to find both.

Awesome! Thanks for the recommendations guys! At under 30 bucks for the charger and a couple of batteries, it seems like a no-brainer.
I like the auto-detect feature on that charger. Probably because I have no idea what kind of battery is in there now, aside from the size, which is kind of scary, come to think of it. The shop I bought it from rewrapped it to match my mod, and never mentioned the brand. I'll have to stop over there and ask them what the heck they gave me.

I just type faster   But, we're on the same page!

I would personally put it pretty high on my list.  It isn't a total necessity, but it is very convenient.
I rotate 8 batteries in my electronic mods.  This not only spreads the load out between many batteries, but it is another form of backups. It is also nice when one runs down, to just pop in another and keep vaping.
The chargers are much more sophisticated and safer than the onboard one.
Here is the charger I recommend: Nitecore i4 Intellicharger
Here are some good batteries that are not too expensive:    18650 Samsung INR18650-25R or 18650 LG 18650HE2
 
Dang, I am a bit slow today Earthling!

Charging through the unit (pass-through) is not an issue... that is why that port is there... not everyone has multiple batteries and chargers
Yes, having more batteries is always a good thing... because you can swap them out as needed, and you're not tethered to a USB cord while it is charging.  Also, the best reason is in case a battery fails during charge-cycle (rare, but can happen), which could spell disaster for you.
I recommend having at least 2 batteries for your mod (at minimum).  Label the batteries when you buy them, with the date and a letter (A-B-C-D), so you can remember which one is next in rotation... (ie. Pull battery-B, insert battery-C), and how old they are.  This will ensure each battery is used equally, and they will provide max-life that way.
For an external charger, buy a NiteCore i2 or i4!  Their D2/D4 chargers look cool, but don't work any better than the i-series, they only cost more.  For batteries... you can't go wrong with Samsung 25r or LG HE2.  Purple eFest are probably over-kill in Amp-rating for your box, but still will work fine, but the Samsung are probably the lowest cost of the recommended batteries (I have more than a dozen of them, so I can say "I trust them").

I got some more newbie questions for you guys, this time in regards to batteries and chargers. At the moment, I've got 1 18650 battery that is getting daily use in my kanger subox mini. I'm also charging through the subox directly, mainly because I haven't gotten around to buying a proper charger. 
So, first question. Should I have more than one battery, and switch off between them? Will this be important for battery life and or safety? 
Am I ok charging directly through the unit, or should a charger be high on my "to buy" list? 
I read somewhere that the subox has overcharge/ discharge protection, but the manual only mentions the discharge safety. 

One thing I can tell you is that when using nickel wire (required for TC), you can build your coil according to the space you have to build in and not worry so much about hitting a target resistance like you have to do with Kanthal A1.

Ok. Here's my next question - is this technology too new to invest in at this time?

Has anyone used it and what can you tell me about coil life and performance?

I get it now, Rixter. Thanks!

One of the beauties of this device is how airflow plays on temperature. Less airflow means more temperature. Dryness means more temperature. So this unit corrects for that automatically. That is awesome. I used to wonder why my wife was harder on coils than I am. Now I see the difference in vaping styles. I like an airy pull. My wife tends to just fire the coil and nurse the pull. This would correct that automatically.

This is pretty awesome.

There is also this reasonably priced alternative.
 
http://www.vaportekusa.com/hcigar-dna-40-authentic-evolv/
 
The advantages are a spring loaded 510 pin, inbuilt charging and venting.  Note venting will help to keep the chip assembly running cooler.

Even at lower voltages, when the wick dries out, the temperature of the coil skyrockets. TC effectively prevents that from happening by limiting the max temp to whatever you set for a limit. Ive heard that 420F is what most people use to prevent cotton wicking from burning.

Sorry I just saw you posted a video Rixter. I'll check that out.

It would seem to follow that if the coil is so regulated, that it would be the equivalent of just vaping with lower voltages. Perhaps this is not an issue with lightweight vaping gear - 1.8 coils running 3.7 V, for example. Doesn't seem like you'd run in to temperature problems at 8 or 9 watts.

Rixter thanks for the video.  I wish i could hear what he says, he sounds informative.  Maybe my next purchase should not be vaping gear but a hearing aid as my wife keeps yelling at me and my responce to her  is what did you say?  ;-)

i am  not an expert in temperature control but my basic understanding so far is  that nickel wire has properties that its resistance changes with heat.  The chip continuously monitors the resistance of the coil and determines the temperature based on on that.  If you use Kanthal, wire temperature control wont work since the resistance is constant.
 
So since the unit wont let the coil ever get hot enough, in theory you should never burn your cotton.  As your wic holds less juic, the heat rises quicker and thus the unit stops current flow.
 
Formaldehyde and acetaldehyde are believed to be by products when PG|VG break down from high temperatures, again in theory temperature control should eliminate this.
As your wic dries up the pg/vg left over/residue will burn at higher temperatures if the temperatures are high enough you get the unwanted byproducts.
My question is what is the magic temperature you should avoid.  I cant seem to find any research paper done with a qualified testing procedure.
 
Sorry if i went off track, perhaps i should have answered this  prior to my scotch.